Lack of common courtesy on roads is big concern

Blaise Tapp.

Blaise Tapp

Published:18:00Friday 13 March 2015

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Are we as safe on the roads as we were say a decade ago? A clutch of grim recent statistics would suggest not.

Last month we were told that road accidents resulting in death or serious injury have risen to 25,000, an increase of four per cent from the previous year. Then it was revealed that as many as 500,000 of us are believed to illegally use our mobile phones while at the wheel.

But one thing that cannot be disputed is that today’s motorists are the least courteous in living memory

This was then quickly followed by the introduction of new ‘drug driving’ laws. Taken together these three worrying developments should be a concern for any of us who rely upon our own steam to get us from A to B although there will be some who will point out that our roads are far safer than say 15 years ago.

They will argue that the introduction of new legislation can only be a good thing and, if implemented properly, will act as a deterrent for those who insist on flouting the law.

But one thing that cannot be disputed is that today’s motorists are the least courteous in living memory.

I am not talking about those who are prone to the one fingered salute or the much-favoured hand gesture which is rather reminiscent of that famous coffee advert from the 1980s.

What I am talking about is the slow eradication of basic courtesies amongst many road users.

Just think back to the last time you let a vehicle pass in the opposite direction on a busy street. Did you get a thank you?

Unlikely I think as it appears that the average driver has lost the ability to simply raise a hand when a stranger does the decent thing and lets them through.

Why should this display of pig ignorance matter so much to me, especially when these idiots are complete strangers? In short, how we behave on the roads gives an accurate insight of how we are in our everyday lives and I really cannot stand discourteous numbskulls.

I am sure there are many out there who disagree with me but just think about a world where everybody took a fleeting moment to acknowledge a tiny common courtesy.